
, "V A* .vgltelf. ^ j 



6< 



,-CT 



V » * • °, o 

C^^rv J ^it»iil?<> A>-** 



, ; J 



*W 



»°-n> 



%.*- ^ c^ 

** oV :*4Plf: ^o* -sire"- ^ oV :»SK: ^ 






•» A. 4>* ♦oho .^ O. *..-,• ,0 









9*. *..<.• A> 


















* 4y %$> ».' 



*o O ~ «. s * * ' ,> 



0^ \2 *'T.s* A 




V 



•<*V 



/\ 






Pf* /"\ --IP 
f *£fc\> ^s^kS /4mk% f 

-- ***** #fe ^ ; 8& ^ 

\ : -«°** v % ISP /\ -^ ^ ! 

-** A •■ 

o > 
<£> »--^>jj^. <xS o A%2^V ^0 ^ * 







^ 

% 



^ 






V * 



^ 



V 






*. 



/ 



GENERAL PERSHING'S 
OFFICIAL STORY 





of the 




American Expeditionary 
Forces in Fr;ince 



THE WORDS IN THIS BOOK WILL BE 

AS IMMORTAL AS THOSE 

OF THE BIBLE 

•8 

THIS BOOK CONTAINS THE OFFICIAL REPORT 
OF GENERAL PERSHING TO SECRETARY OF WAR 
BAKER ON AMERICA'S PARTICIPATION IN THE 
WORLD WAR. 

IT IS, PERHAPS, THE MOST PRECIOUS HUMAN 
DOCUMENT SINCE THE DECLARATION OF INDEPEND- 
ENCE BECAME THE FOUNDATION OF OUR GLORIOUS 
UNITED STATES. 

THE PART OUR COUNTRY PLAYED IN RESTOR- 
ING PEACE TO THE WORLD FOUND ITS INSPIRATION 
IN THE DEEDS OF 1776. 

OUR IMPERISHABLE OBLIGATION TO FRANCE 
WAS ONE OF THE PRIME REASONS WHY WE MADE 
THE SUPREME SACRIFICE. IT FOUND ITS ECHO IN 
GENERAL PERSHING'S EARLY VISIT TO THE TOMB 
OF LAFAYETTE. 

THE PUBLISHERS WERE INSPIRED TO REPRINT 
THIS REPORT FOR SALE AT A POPULAR PRICE SO 
THAT A COPY MIGHT BE IN EVERY HOME IN THE 
LAND. 

THE STORY OF THE AMERICAN ARMY IN 
FRANCE, AS WRITTEN BY GENERAL JOHN J. PERSH- 
ING, WILL BE HANDED DOWN TO THE GENERA- 
TIONS TO COME. 



7 






S 



GENERAL PERSHING'S 
OFFICIAL STORY 

OF 

THE AMERICAN 
EXPEDITIONARY FORCES IN FRANCE 




© Underwood & Underwood, 1919 



THEIR INSPIRATION 



Published by 

SUN SALES CORPORATION 

NEW YORK 



Copyright, 1919 







e/l&J!*vr^P % 




9> 



UsQ/3 



1 *i 



IK tl tfvmtm 




■ 






REPORT OF GENERAL PERSHING 

TO THE 

SECRETARY OF WAR 




November 20, 1918. 
My Dear Mr. Secretary: 

In response to your request, I have the honor to 
submit this brief summary of the organization and 
operations of the American Expeditionary Force 
from May 26, 1917, until the signing of the armistice 
November 11, 1918. 

Pursuant to your instructions, immediately upon 
receiving my orders I selected a small staff and pro- 
ceeded to Europe in order to become familiar with 
conditions at the earliest possible moment. 

The warmth of our reception in England and 
France was only equaled by the readiness of the 
commanders in chief of the veteran armies of the 
Allies and their staffs to place their experience at 
our disposal. In consultation with them the most 
effective means of co-operation of effort was con- 
sidered. With French and British armies at their 
maximum strength, and all efforts to dispossess the 
enemy from his firmly intrenched positions in Bel- 



Page 6 



General Pershing's Story 



gium and France failed, it was necessary to plan for 
an American force adequate to turn the scale in 
favor of the Allies. Taking account of the strength 
of the central powers at that time, the immensity of 
the problem which confronted us could hardly be 
overestimated. The first requisite being an organi- 
zation that could give intelligent direction to ef- 
fort, the formation of a General Staff occupied my 
early attention. 



A well organized General Staff through which 
the commander exercises his functions is essential 
to a successful modern army. However capable 
our division, our battalion, and our companies as 
such, success would be impossible without thor- 
oughly co-ordinated endeavor. A General Staff 
broadly organized and trained for war had not 
hitherto existed in our Army. Under the Comman- 
der in Chief, this staff must carry out the policy 
and direct the details of administration, supply, 
preparation, and operations of the Army as a whole, 
with all special branches and bureaus subject to its 
control. As models to aid us we had the veteran 
French General Staff and the experience of the 
British who had similarly formed an organization 
to meet the demands of a great army. By select- 
ing from each the features best adapted to our basic 
organization, and fortified by our own early expe- 
rience in the war, the development of our great 
General Staff system was completed. 

The General Staff is naturally divided into five 
groups, each with its chief who is an assistant to 
the Chief of the General Staff. G. 1 is in charge of 
organization and equipment of troops, replace- 



The American Army in France p W e 7 

ments, tonnage, priority of overseas shipment, the 
auxiliary welfare association and cognate subjects, 
G. 2 has censorship, enemy intelligence, gathering 
and disseminating information, preparation of 
maps, and all similar subjects; G. 3 is charged with 
all strategic studies and plans, movement of troops, 
and the supervision of combat operations; G. 4 co- 
ordinates important questions of supply, construc- 
tion, transport arrangements for combat, and of the 
operations of the service of supply, and of hospital- 
ization and the evacuation of the sick and wounded; 
G. 5 supervises the various schools and has general 
direction and co-ordination of education and tram- 
ilia, 

The first Chief of Staff was Col. (now Maj. Gen.) 
Tames G. Harbord, who was succeeded in May, 
1918 by Maj. Gen. James W. McAndrew. To these 
officers, to the Deputy Chief of Staff, and to the as- 
sistant Chiefs of Staff, who, as heads of sections, 
aided them, great credit is due for the results ob- 
tained not only in perfecting the General Staff or- 
ganization but in applying correct principles to the 
multiplicity of problems that have arisen. 

ORGANIZATION AND TRAINING 

After a thorough consideration of allied organi- 
zations it was decided that our combat division 
should consist of four regiments of infantry of 3 000 
men, with three battalions to a regiment and four 
companies of 250 men each to a battalion, and of an 
artillery brigade of three regiments, a machine-gun 
battalion, an engineer regiment, a trench-mortar 
battery, a signal battalion, wagon trains, and the 
headquarters staffs and military police. These, 
with medical and other units, made a total of over 



Page 8 General Pershing's Story 

28,000 men, or practically double the size of a 
French or German division. Each corps would nor- 
mally consist of six divisions — four combat and one 
depot and one replacement division — and also two 
regiments of cavalry, and each army of from three 
to five corps. With four divisions fully trained, a 
corps could take over an American sector with two 
divisions in line and two in reserve, with the depot 
and replacement divisions prepared to fill the gaps 
in the ranks. 

Our purpose was to prepare an integral Ameri- 
can force which should be able to take the offensive 
in every respect. Accordingly, the development of 
a self-reliant infantry by thorough drill in the use 
of the rifle and in the tactics of open warfare was 
always uppermost. The plan of training after ar- 
rival in France allowed a division one month for 
acclimatization and instruction in small units from 
battalions down, a second month in quiet trench 
sectors by battalion, and a third month after it came 
out of the trenches when it should be trained as a 
complete division in war of movement. 

Very early a system of schools was outlined and 
started, which should have the advantage of in- 
struction by officers direct from the front. At the 
great school center at Langres, one of the first to be 
organized, was the staff school, where the principles 
of general staff work, as laid down in our own or- 
ganization, were taught to carefully selected offi- 
cers. Men in the ranks who had shown qualities 
of leadership were sent to the school of candi- 
dates for commissions. A school of the line taught 
younger officers the principles of leadership, tac- 
tics, and the use of the different weapons. In the 
artillery school, at Saumur, young officers were 



The American Army in France Page g 

taught the fundamental principles of modern artil- 
lery; while at Issoudun an immense plant was built 
for training cadets in aviation. These and other 
schools, with their well-considered curriculums for 
training in every branch of our organization, were 
co-ordinated in a manner best to develop an effi- 
cient Army out of willing and industrious young 
men, many of whom had not before known even the 
rudiments of military technique. Both Marshal 
Haig and General Petain placed officers and men 
at our disposal for instructional purposes, and we 
are deeply indebted for the opportunities given to 
profit by their veteran experience. 

AMERICAN ZONE 

The eventual place the American Army should 
take on the western front was to a large extent in- 
fluenced by the vital questions of communication 
and supply. The northern ports of France were 
crowded by the British Armies' shipping and sup- 
plies while the southern ports, though otherwise at 
our service, had not adequate port facilities for our 
purposes and these we should have to build. The 
already overtaxed railway system behind the active 
front in northern France would not be available for 
us as lines of supply and those leading from the 
southern ports of northeastern France would be 
unequal to our needs without much new construc- 
tion. Practically all warehouses, supply depots and 
regulating stations must be provided by fresh con- 
structions. While France offered us such material 
as she had to spare after a drain of three years, 
enormous quantities of material had to be brought 
across the Atlantic. 



Page 10 General Pershing's Story 

With such a problem any temporization or lack 
of definiteness in making plans might cause fail- 
ure even with victory within our grasp. Moreover, 
broad plans commensurate with our national pur- 
pose and resources would bring conviction of our 
power to every soldier in the front line, to the 
nations associated with us in the war, and to the 
enemy. The tonnage for material for necessary 
construction for the supply of an army of three and 
perhaps four million men would require a mam- 
moth program of shipbuilding at home, and miles 
of dock construction in France, with a correspond- 
ingly large project for additional railways and for 
storage depots. 

All these considerations led to the inevitable con- 
clusion that if we were to handle and supply the 
great forces deemed essential to win the war we 
must utilize the southern ports of France — Bor- 
deaux, La Pallice, St. 'Nazaire, and Brest — and 
the comparatively unused railway systems leading 
therefrom to the northeast. Generally speaking, 
then, this would contemplate the use of our forces 
against the enemy somewhere in that direction, but 
the great depots of supply must be centrally lo- 
cated, preferably in the area included by Tours, 
Bourges, and Chateauroux, so that our armies could 
be supplied with equal facility wherever they might 
be serving on the western front. 

GROWTH OF THE SERVICE OF SUPPLY 

To build up such a system there were talented 
men in the Regular Army, but more experts were 
necessary than the Army could furnish. Thanks to 
the patriotic spirit of our people at home, there 



The American Army in France Page n 

came from civil life men trained for every sort of 
work involved in building and managing the or- 
ganization necessary to handle and transport such 
an army and keep it supplied. With such assist- 
ance the construction and general development of 
our plans have kept pace with the growth of the 
forces, and the Service of Supply is now able to 
discharge from ships and move 45,000 tons daily, 
besides transporting troops and material in the con- 
duct of active operations. 

As to organization, all the administrative and 
supply services, except the Adjutant General's, In- 
spector General's, and Judge Advocate General's 
Departments, which remain at general headquar- 
ters, have been transferred to the headquarters of 
the services of supplies at Tours under a command- 
ing general responsible to the commander in chief 
for supply of the armies. The Chief Quartermas- 
ter, Chief Surgeon, Chief Signal Officer, Chief of 
Ordnance, Chief of Air Service, Chief of Chemical 
Warfare, the general purchasing agent in all that 
pertains to questions of procurement and supply, 
the Provost Marshal General in the maintenance 
of order in general, the Director General of Trans- 
portation in all that affects such matters, and the 
Chief Engineer in all matters of administration and 
supply, are subordinate to the Commanding Gen- 
eral of the Service of Supply, who, assisted by a 
staff especially organized for the purpose, is charged 
with the administrative co-ordination of all these 
services. 

The transportation department under the Service 
of Supply directs the operation, maintenance, and 
construction of railways, the operation of terminals, 
the unloading of ships, and transportation of mate- 



Page 12 General Pershing's Story 

rial to warehouses or to the front. Its functions 
make necessary the most intimate relationship be- 
tween our organization and that of the French, 
with the practical result that our transportation de- 
partment has been able to improve materially the 
operations of railways generally. Constantly labor- 
ing under a shortage of rolling stock, the transpor- 
tation department has nevertheless been able by ef- 
ficient management to meet every emergency. 

The Engineer Corps is charged with all con- 
struction, including light railways and roads. It 
has planned and constructed the many projects re- 
quired, the most important of which are the new 
wharves at Bordeaux and Nantes, and the immense 
storage depots at La Pallice, Montoir, and Gievres, 
besides innumerable hospitals and barracks in vari- 
ous ports of France. These projects have all been 
carried on by phases keeping pace with our needs. 
The Forestry Service under the Engineer Corps 
has cut the greater part of the timber and railway 
ties required. 

To meet the shortage of supplies from America, 
due to lack of shipping, the representatives of the 
different supply departments were constantly in 
search of available material and supplies in Europe. 
In order to co-ordinate these purchases and to pre- 
vent competition between our departments, a gen- 
eral purchasing agency was created early in our 
experience to co-ordinate our purchases and, if pos- 
sible, induce our Allies to apply the principle among 
the Allied armies. While there was no authority 
for the general use of appropriations, this was met 
by grouping the purchasing representatives of the 
different departments under one control, charged 
with the duty of consolidating requisitions and pur- 



The American Army in France Page 13 

chases. Our efforts to extend the principle have 
been signally successful, and all purchases for the 
Allied armies are now on an equitable and co-opera- 
tive basis. Indeed, it may be said that the work of 
this bureau has been thoroughly efficient and busi- 
ness like. 

ARTILLERY, AIRPLANES, AND TANKS 

Our entry into the war found us with few of the 
auxiliaries necessary for its conduct in the modern 
sense. Among our most important deficiencies in 
material were artillery, aviation, and tanks. In 
order to meet our requirements as rapidly as pos- 
sible, we accepted the offer of the French Govern- 
ment to provide us with the necessary artillery 
equipment of seventy-fives, one fifty-five millimeter 
howitzers, and one fifty-five G P F guns from their 
own factories for thirty divisions. The wisdom of 
this course is fully demonstrated by the fact that, 
although we soon began the manufacture of these 
classes of guns at home, there were no guns of the 
calibers mentioned manufactured in America on 
our front at the date the armistice was signed. The 
only guns of these types produced at home thus far 
received in France are 109 seventy-five millimeter 
guns. 

In aviation we were in the same situation, and 
here again the French Government came to our aid 
until our own aviation program should be under 
way. We obtained from the French the necessary 
planes for training our personnel, and they have 
provided us with a total of 2,676 pursuit, observa- 
tion, and bombing planes. The first airplanes re- 
ceived from home arrived in May, and altogether 



Page 14 General Pershing's Story 

we have received 1,379. The first American squad- 
ron completely equipped by American production, 
including airplanes, crossed the German lines on 
August 7, 1918. As to tanks, we were also com- 
pelled to rely upon the French. Here, however, we 
were less fortunate, for the reason that the French 
production could barely meet the requirements of 
their own armies. 

It should be fully realized that the French Gov- 
ernment has always taken a most liberal attitude 
and has been most anxious to give us every possible 
assistance in meeting our deficiencies in these as 
well as in other respects. Our dependence upon 
France for artillery, aviation, and tanks was, of 
course, due to the fact that our industries had not 
been exclusively devoted to military production. 
All credit is due our own manufacturers for their 
efforts to meet our requirements, as at the time the 
armistice was signed we were able to look forward 
to the early supply of practically all our necessities 
from our own factories. 

The welfare of the troops touches my responsibil- 
ity as Commander in Chief to the mothers and 
fathers and kindred of the men who came to France 
in the impressionable period of youth. They could 
not have the privilege accorded European soldiers 
during their periods of leave of visiting their fami- 
lies and renewing their home ties. Fully realizing 
that the standard of conduct that should be estab- 
lished for them must have a permanent influence in 
their lives and on the character of their future citi- 
zenship, the Red Cross, the Young Men's Christian 
Association, Knights of Columbus, the Salvation 
Army, and the Jewish Welfare Board, as auxilia- 
ries in this work, were encouraged in every possible 



The American Army in France P«9 e *5 

way The fact that our soldiers, in a land of differ- 
ent customs and language, have borne themselves 
in a' manner in keeping with the cause for which 
they fought, is due not only to the efforts in their 
behalf but much more to other high ideals, their dis- 
cipline, and their innate sense of self-respect. It 
should be recorded, however, that the members of 
these welfare societies have been untiring in their 
desire to be of real service to our officers and men. 
The patriotic devotion of these representative men 
and women has given a new significance to the 
Golden Rule, and we owe to them a debt of grati- 
tude that can never be repaid. 

COMBAT OPERATIONS 

During our periods of training in the trenches 
some of our divisions had engaged the enemy in 
local combats, the most important of which was 
Seicheprey by the Twenty-sixth on April 20, in the 
Toul sector, but none had participated in action as 
a unit. The First division, which had passed 
through the preliminary stages of training, had 
gone to the trenches for its first period of instruc- 
tion at the end of October and by March 21, when 
the German offensive in Picardy began, we had four 
divisions with experience in the trenches, all of 
which were equal to any demands of battle action 
The crisis which this offensive developed was such 
that our occupation of an American sector must be 

postponed. . 

On March 28 I placed at the disposal of Marshal 
Foch, who had been agreed upon as Commander in 
Chief of the Allied Armies, all of our forces to be 
used as he might decide. At his request the first 



Page 16 General Pershing^s Story 

division was transferred from the Toul sector to a 
position in reserve at Chaumont en Vexin. As Ger- 
man superiority in numbers required prompt action, 
an agreement was reached at the Abbeville confer- 
ence of the Allied premiers and commanders and 
myself on May 2 by which British shipping was to 
transport 10 American divisions to the British Army 
area, where they were to be trained and equipped, 
and additional British shipping was to be provided 
for as many divisions as possible for use elsewhere- 

On April 26 the First Division had gone into the 
line in the Montdidier salient on the 3 icardy battle 
front. Tactics had been suddenly revolutionized to 
those of open warfare, and our men, confident of 
the results of their training, were eager for the test. 
On the morning of May 28 this division attacked 
the commanding German position in its front, tak- 
ing with splendid dash the town of Cantigny and 
all other objectr es, which were organized and held 
steadfastly against vicious counterattacks and gall- 
ing artillery fire. Although local, this brilliant 
action had an electrical effect, as i demonstrated 
our fighting qualities under extreme battle condi- 
tions, and also that the enemy's troops were not al- 
together invincible. 

The Germans' Aisne offensive, which began on 
May 27, had advanced rapidly toward the River 
Marne and Paris, and the Allies faced a crisis 
equally as grave as that of the Picardy offensive in 
March. Again every available man was placed at 
Marshal Foch's disposal, and the Third Division, 
which had just come from its preliminary training 
in the trenches, was hurried to the Marne. Its 
motorized machine-gun battalion preceded the other 
units and successfully held the bridgehead at the 



The American Army in France Page 17 

Marne, opposite Chateau-Thierry. The Second 
Division, in reserve near Montdidier, was sent by 
motor trucks and other available transport to check 
the progress of the enemy toward Paris. The Divi- 
sion attacked and retook the town and railroad sta- 
tion at Bouresches and sturdily held its ground 
against the enemy's best guard divisions. In the 
battle of Belleau Wood, which followed, our men 
proved their superiority and gained a strong tacti- 
cal position, with far greater loss to the enemy than 
to ourselves. On July 1, before the Second was re- 
lieved, it captured the village of Vaux with most 
splendid precision. 

Meanwhile our Second Corps, under Maj. Gen. 
George W. Read, had been organized for the com- 
mand of our divisions with the British, which were 
held back in training areas or assigned to second- 
line defenses. Five of the ten divisions were with- 
drawn from the British area in June, three to re- 
lieve divisions in Lorraine and the Vosges and two 
to the Paris area to join the group of American 
divisions which stood between the city and any 
farther advance of the enemy in that direction. 

The great June-July troop movement from the 
States was well under way, and, although these 
troops were to be given some preliminary training 
before being put into action, their very presence 
warranted the use of all the older divisions in the 
confidence that we did not lack reserves. Elements 
of the Forty-second Division were in the line east 
of Rheims against the German offensive of July 15, 
and held their ground unflinchingly. On the right 
flank of this offensive four companies of the Twen- 
ty-eighth Division were in position in face of the 
advancing waves of the German infantry. The 



Page 1 8 General Pershing's Story 

Third Division was holding the bank of the Marne 
from the bend east of the mouth of the Surmelin to 
the west of Mezy, opposite Chateau Thierry, where 
a large force of German infantry sought to force a 
passage under support of powerful artillery concen- 
trations and under cover of smoke screens. A single 
regiment of the Third wrote one of the most bril- 
liant pages in our military annals on this occasion. 
It prevented the crossing at certain points on its 
front while, on either flank, the Germans, who had 
gained a footing, pressed forward. Our men, fir- 
ing in three directions, met the German attacks 
with counterattacks at critical points and succeeded 
in throwing two German divisions into complete 
confusion, capturing 600 prisoners. 

The great force of the German Chateau-Thierry 
offensive established the deep Marne salient, but 
the enemy was taking chances, and the vulnerabil- 
ity of this pocket to attack might be turned to his 
disadvantage. Seizing this opportunity to support 
my conviction, every division with any sort of train- 
ing was made available for use in a counter-offen- 
sive. The place of honor in the thrust toward 
Soissons on July 18 was given to our First and Sec- 
ond Divisions in company with chosen French divi- 
sions. Without the usual brief warning of a pre- 
liminary bombardment, the massed French and 
American artillery, firing by the map, laid down its 
rolling barrage at dawn while the infantry began 
its charge. The tactical handling of our troops 
under these trying conditions was excellent 
throughout the action. The enemy brought up 
large numbers of reserves and made a stubborn 
defense both with machine guns and artillery, but 
through five days' fighting the First Division con- 



The American Army in France Page 19 

tinued to advance until it had gained the heights 
above Soissons and captured the village of Berzy- 
le-sec. The Second Division took Beau Repaire 
farm and Vierzy in a very rapid advance and 
reached a position in front of Tigny at the end of 
its second day. These two divisions captured 7,000 
prisoners and over 100 pieces of artillery. 

The Twenty-sixth Division, which, with a French 
division, was under command of our First Corps, 
acted as a pivot of the movement toward Soissons. 
On the 18th it took the village of Torcy while the 
Third Division was crossing the Marne in pursuit 
of the retiring enemy. The Twenty-sixth attacked 
again on the 21st, and the enemy withdrew past the 
Chateau Thierry-Soissons road. The Third Divi- 
sion, continuing its progress, took the heights of 
Mont St. Pere and the villages of Charteves and 
Jaulgonne in the face of both machine-gun and ar- 
tillery fire. 

On the 24th, after the Germans had fallen back 
from Trugny and Epieds, our Forty-second Divi- 
sion, which had been brought over from the Cham- 
pagne, relieved the Twenty-sixth and, fighting its 
way through the Foret de Fere, overwhelmed the 
nest of machine guns in its path. By the 27th it 
had reached the Ourcq, whence the Third and 
Fourth Divisions were already advancing, while 
the French divisions with which we were co-operat- 
ing were moving forward at other points. 

The Third Division had made its advance into 
Roncheres Wood on the 29th and was relieved for 
rest by a brigade of the Thirty-second. The Forty- 
second and Thirty-second undertook the task of 
conquering the heights beyond Cierges, the Forty- 
second capturing Sergy and the Thirty-second cap- 



Page 20 



General Pershing's Story. 



turing Hill 230, both American divisions joining in 
the pursuit of the enemy to the Vesle, and thus the 
operation of reducing the salient was finished. 
Meanwhile the Forty-second was relieved by the 
Fourth at Chery-Chartreuve, and the Thirty-sec- 
ond by the Twenty-eighth, while the Seventy-sev- 
enth Division took up a position on the Vesle. The 
operations of these divisions on the Vesle were 
under the Third Corps, Maj. Gen. Robert L. Bul- 
lard, commanding. 






BATTLE OF ST. MIHIEL 

With the reduction of the Marne salient we could 
look forward to the concentration of our divisions 
in our own zone. In view of the forthcoming opera- 
tion against the St. Mihiel salient, which had long 
been planned as our first offensive action on a large 
scale, the First Army was organized on August 10 
under my personal command. While American 
units had held different divisional and corps sectors 
along the western front, there had not been up to 
this time, for obvious reasons, a distinct American 
sector; but, in view of the important parts the 
American forces were now to play, it was necessary 
to take over a permanent portion of the line. Ac- 
cordingly, on August 30, the line beginning at Port 
sur Seille, east of the Moselle and extending to the 
west through St. Mihiel, thence north to a point op- 
posite Verdun, was placed under my command. The 
American sector was afterwards extended across 
the Meuse to the western edge of the Argon ne For- 
est, and included the Second Colonial French, which 
held the point of the salient, and the Seventeenth 



The American Army in France Page 21 

French Corps, which occupied the heights above 
Verdun. 

The preparation for a complicated operation 
against the formidable defenses in front of us in- 
cluded the assembling of divisions and of corps and 
army artillery, transport, aircraft, tanks, ambu- 
lances, the location of hospitals, and the molding 
together of all the elements of a great modern army 
with its own railheads, supplied directly by our own 
Service of Supply. The concentration for this 
operation, which was to be a surprise, involved the 
movement, mostly at night, of approximately 600,- 
000 troops, and required for its success the most 
careful attention to every detail. 

The French were generous in giving us assistance 
in corps and army artillery, with its personnel, and 
we were confident from the start of our superiority 
over the enemy in guns of all calibers. Our heavy 
guns were able to reach Metz and to interfere 
seriously with German rail movements. The French 
Independent Air Force was placed under my com- 
mand, which, together with the British bombing 
squadrons and our air forces, gave us the largest 
assembly of aviation that had ever been engaged in 
one operation on the western front. 

From Les Eparges around the nose of the salient 
at St. Mihiel to the Moselle River the line was 
roughly 40 miles long and situated on commanding 
ground greatly strengthened by artificial defenses. 
Our First Corps (Eighty-second, Ninetieth, Fifth, 
and Second Divisions) under command of Maj. 
Gen. Hunter Liggett, restrung its right on Pont-a- 
Mousson, with its left joining our Third Corps (the 
Eighty-ninth, Forty-second, and First Divisions), 
under Maj. Gen. Joseph T. Dickman, in line to 



Page 22 General Pershing's Story 

Xivray, were to swing in toward Vigneulles on the 
pivot of the Moselle River for the initial assault. 
From Xivray to Mouilly the Second Colonial 
French Corps was in line in the center and our 
Fifth Corps, under command of Maj. Gen. George 
H. Cameron, with our Twenty-sixth Division and 
a French division at the western base of the salient, 
were to attack three difficult hills — Les Eparges, 
Combres, and Amaramthe. Our First Corps had in 
reserve the Seventy-eighth Division, our Fourth 
Corps the Third Division, and our First Army the 
Thirty-fifth and Ninety-first Divisions, with the 
Eightieth and Thirty-third available. It should be 
understood that our corps organizations are very 
elastic, and that we have at no time had permanent 
assignments of divisions to corps. 

After four hours of artillery preparation, the 
seven American divisions in the front line advanced 
at 5 a. m., on September 12, assisted by a limited 
number of tanks manned partly by Americans and 
partly by the French. These divisions, accom- 
panied by groups of wire cutters and others armed 
with bangalore torpedoes, went through the succes- 
sive bands of barbed wire that protected the en- 
emy's front line and support trenches, in irresistible 
waves on schedule time, breaking down all defense 
of an enemy demoralized by the great volume of our 
artillery fire and our sudden approach out of the fog. 

Our First Corps advanced to Thiaucourt, while 
our Fourth Corps curved back to the southwest 
through Nonsard. The Second Colonial French 
Corps made the slight advance required of it on 
very difficult ground, and the Fifth Corps took its 
three ridges and repulsed a counter attack. A rapid 
march brought reserve regiments of a Division of 



The American Army in France Page 23 

the Fifth Corps into Vigneulles in the early morn- 
ing, where it linked up with patrols of our Fourth 
Corps, closing the salient and forming a new line 
west of Thiaucourt to Vigneulles and beyond Fres- 
nes-en-Woevre. At the cost of only 7,000 casual- 
ties, mostly light, we had taken 16,000 prisoners 
and 443 guns, a great quantity of material, released 
the inhabitants of many villages from enemy dom- 
ination, and established our lines in a position to 
threaten Metz. This signal success of the Ameri- 
can First Army in its first offensive was of prime 
importance. The Allies found they had a formi- 
dable army to aid them, and the enemy learned 
finally that he had one to reckon with. 

MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE, FIRST PHASE 

On the day after we had taken the St. Mihiel sali- 
ent, much of our Corps and Army artillery which 
had operated at St. Mihiel, and our Divisions in 
reserve at other points, were already on the move 
toward the area back of the line between the Meuse 
River and the western edge of the forest of Argonne. 
With the exception of St. Mihiel, the old German 
front line from Switzerland to the east of Rheims 
was still intact. In the general attack all along the 
line, the operation assigned the American Army as 
the hinge of this Allied offensive was directed to- 
ward the important railroad communications of the 
German armies through Mezieres and Sedan. The 
enemy must hold fast to this part of his lines or the 
withdrawal of his forces with four years' accumu- 
lation of plants and material would be dangerously 
imperiled. 

The German Army had as yet shown no demoral- 



Page 24 General Pershing's Story 

ization and, while the mass of its troops had suffered 
in morale, its first-class divisions and notably its 
machine-gun defense were exhibiting remarkable 
tactical efficiency as well as courage. The German 
General Staff was fully aware of the consequences 
of a success on the Meuse-Argonne line. Certain 
that he would do everything in his power to oppose 
us, the action was planned with as much secrecy as 
possible and was undertaken with the determina- 
tion to use all our Divisions in forcing decision. We 
expected to draw the best German divisions to our 
front and to consume them while the enemy was 
held under grave apprehension lest our attack 
should break his line, which it was our firm purpose 
to do. 

Our right flank was protected by the Meuse, 
while our left embraced the Argonne forest, whose 
ravines, hills, and elaborate defense screened by 
dense thickets had been generally considered im- 
pregnable. Our order of battle from right to left was 
the Third Corps from the Meuse to Malancourt, 
with the Thirty-third, Eightieth, and Fourth Divi- 
sions in line, and the Third Division as corps re- 
serve; the Fifth Corps from Malancourt to Vau- 
quois, with Seventy-ninth, Eighty-seventh, and 
Ninety-first Divisions in line, and the Thirty-second 
in corps reserve; and the First Corps, from Vau- 
quois to Vienne Le Chateau, with Thirty-fifth, 
Twenty-eighth, and Seventy-seventh Divisions in 
line, and the Ninety-second in corps reserve. The 
Army reserve consisted of the First, Twenty-ninth, 
and Eighty-second Divisions. 

On the night of September 25 our troops quietly 
took the place of the French who thinly held the 
line in this sector which had long been inactive. 



The American Army in France Page 25 

In the attack which began on the 26th we drove 
through the barbed wire entanglements and the sea 
of shell craters across No Man's Land, mastering 
all the first-line defenses. Continuing on the 27th 
and 28th, against machine guns and artillery of an 
increasing number of enemy reserve divisions, we 
penetrated to a depth of from 3 to 7 miles, and took 
the village of Montfaucon and its commanding hill 
and Exermont, Gercourt, Cuisy, Septsarges, Malan- 
court, Ivoiry, Epinonville, Charpentry, Very, and 
other villages. East of the Meuse one of our Di- 
visions, which was with the Second Colonial French 
Corps, captured Marcheville and Rieville, giving 
further protection to the flank of our main body. 
We had taken 10,000 prisoners, we had gained our 
point of forcing the battle into the open and were 
prepared for the enemy's reaction, which was bound 
to come, as he had good roads and ample railroad 
facilities for bringing up his artillery and reserves. 
In the chill rain of dark nights our engineers had 
to build new roads across spongy, shell-torn areas, 
repair broken roads beyond No Man's Land, and 
build bridges. Our gunners, with no thought of 
sleep, put their shoulders to wheels and dragropes 
to bring their guns through the mire in support of 
the infantry, now under the increasing fire of the 
enemy's artillery. Our attack had taken the enemy 
by surprise, but, quickly recovering himself, he 
began to fire counter-attacks in strong force, sup- 
ported by heavy bombardments, with large quan- 
tities of gas. From September 28 until October 4 
we maintained the offensive against patches of 
woods defended by snipers and continuous lines of 
machine guns, and pushed forward our guns and 



Page 26 General Pershing's Story 

transport, seizing strategical points in preparation 
for further attacks. 



OTHER UNITS WITH ALLIES 

Other Divisions attached to the Allied armies 
were doing their part. It was the fortune of our 
Second Corps, composed of the Twenty-seventh 
and Thirtieth Divisions, which had remained with 
the British, to have a place of honor in cooperation 
with the Australian Corps on September 29 and 
October 1 in the assault on the Hindenburg line 
where the St. Ouentin Canal passes through a tun- 
nel under a ridge. The Thirtieth Division speedily- 
broke through the main line of defense for all its 
objectives, while the Twenty-seventh pushed on 
impetuously through the main line until some of 
its elements reached Gouy. In the midst of the 
maze of trenches and shell craters and under cross 
fire from machine guns the other elements fought 
desperately against odds. In this and in later ac- 
tions, from October 6 to October 19, our Second 
Corps captured over 6,000 prisoners and advanced 
over 13 miles. The spirit and aggressiveness of 
these Divisions have been highly praised by the 
British Army commander under whom they served. 

On October 2-9 our Second and Thirty-sixth Di- 
visions were sent to assist the French in an im- 
portant attack against the old German positions 
before Rheims. The Second conquered the compli- 
cated defense works on their front against a per- 
sistent defense worthy of the grimmest period of 
trench warfare and attacked the strongly held 
wooded hill of Blanc Mont, which they captured in 
a second assault, sweeping over it with consum- 



The American Army in France Pa ' e 2 7 

mate dash and skill. This Division then repulsed 
strong counter attacks before the village and ceme- 
tery of Ste. Etienne and took the town, forcing the 
Germans to fall back from before Rheims and yield 
positions they had held since September, 1914 On 
October 9, the Thirty-sixth Division relieved the 
Second and, in its first experience under fire, with- 
stood very severe artillery bombardment and rap- 
idly took up the pursuit of the enemy, now retiring 
behind the Aisne. 

MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE, SECOND PHASE 

The Allied progress elsewhere cheered the efforts 
of our men in this crucial contest as the German 
command threw in more and more first-class troops 
to stop our advance. We made steady headway in 
the almost impenetrable and strongly held Argonne 
Forest for, despite this reinforcement, it was our 
Army hat was doing the driving. Our aircraft was 
increasing in skill and numbers and forcing the 
issue, and our Infantry and Artillery were improv- 
ing rapidly with each new experience. The replace- 
ments fresh from home were put into exhausted 
divisions with little time for training, but they had 
the advantage of serving beside men who knew 
their business and who had almost become veterans 
over night. The enemy had taken every advantage 
of the terrain, which especially favored *e defense 
by a prodigal use of machine guns manned by higt ily 
trained veterans and by using his artillery at short 
ranges In the face of such strong frontal positions 
we should have been unable to accomplish any 
progress according to previously accepted stand- 



Page 28 General Pershing's Story 

ards, but I had every confidence in our aggressive 
tactics and the courage of our troops. 

On October 4 the attack was renewed all along 
our front. The Third Corps tilting to the left fol- 
lowed the Brieulles-Cunel road; our Fifth Corps 
took Gesnes, while the First Corps advanced for 
over two miles along the irregular valley of the Aire 
River and in the wooded hills of the Argonne that 
bordered the river, used by the enemy with all his 
art and weapons of defense. This sort of fighting 
continued against an enemy striving to hold every 
foot of ground and whose very strong counter- 
attacks challenged us at every point. On the 7th 
the First Corps captured Chatel-Chehery and con- 
tinued along the river to Cornay. On the east of 
Meuse sector one of the two Divisions cooperating 
with the French captured Consenvoye and the Hau- 
mont Woods. On the 9th the Fifth Corps, in its 
progress up the Aire, took Fleville, and the Third 
Corps which had continuous fighting against odds 
was working its way through Brieulles and Cunel. 
On the 10th "we had cleared the Argonne Forest of 
the enemy. 

It was now necessary to constitute a second army, 
and on October 9 the immediate command of the 
First Army was turned over to Lieut. Gen. Hunter 
Liggett. The command of the Second Army, whose 
divisions occupied a sector in the Woevre, was given 
to Lieut. Gen. Robert L. Bullard, who had been 
commander of the First Division and then of the 
Third Corps. Maj. Gen. Dickman was transferred 
to the command of the First Corps, while the Fifth 
Corps was placed under Maj. Gen. Charles P. Sum- 
merall,_who had recently commanded the First Di- 
vision. Maj. Gen. John L. Hines, who had gone 



"The American Army in France Page 29 

rapidly up from regimental to division commander, 
was assigned to the Third Corps. These four offi- 
cers had been in France from the early days of the 
expedition and had learned their lessons in the 
school of practical warfare. 

Our constant pressure against the enemy brought 
day by day more prisoners, mostly survivors from 
machine-gun nests captured in fighting at close 
quarters. On October 18 there was very fierce 
fighting in the Caures Woods east of the Meuse and 
in the Ormont Woods. On the 14th the First Corps 
took St. Juvin, and the Fifth Corps, in hand-to-hand 
encounters, entered the formidable Kriemhilde line, 
where the enemy had hoped to check us indefinitely. 
Later the Fifth Corps penetrated further the Kriem- 
hilde line, and the First Corps took Champigneulles 
and the important town of Grandpre. Our dogged 
offensive was wearing down the enemy, who con- 
tinued desperately to throw his best troops against 
us, thus weakening his line in front of our Allies 
and making their advance less difficult. 

DIVISIONS IN BELGIUM 

Meanwhile we were not only able to continue the 
battle, but our Thirty-seventh and Ninety-first Di- 
visions were hastily withdrawn from our front and 
dispatched to help the French Army in Belgium. 
Detraining in the neighborhood of Ypres, these 
Divisions advanced by rapid stages to the fighting 
line and were assigned to adjacent French Corps. 
On October 31, in continuation of the Flanders 
offensive, they attacked and methodically broke 
down all enemy resistance. On November 3 the 
Thirty-seventh had completed its mission in divid- 



Page 30 General Pershing's Story 

ing the enemy across the Escaut River and firmly 
established itself along the east bank included in 
the division zone of action. By a clever flanking 
movement troops of the Ninety-first Division cap- 
tured Spitaals Bosschen, a difficult wood extend- 
ing across the central part of the division sector, 
reached the Escaut, and penetrated into the town 
of Audenarde. These divisions received high com- 
mendation from their corps commanders for their 
dash and energy. 

MEUSE-ARGONNE— LAST PHASE 

On the 23d the Third and Fifth Corps pushed 
northward to the level of Bantheville. While we 
continued to press forward and throw back the 
enemy's violent counter-attacks with great loss to 
him, a regrouping of cur forces was under way for 
the final assault. Evidences of loss of morale by 
the enemy gave our men more confidence in attack 
and more fortitude in enduring the fatigue of inces- 
sant effort and the hardships of very inclement 
weather. 

With comparatively well-rested divisions, the 
final advance in the Meuse-Argonne front was be- 
gun on November 1. Our increased artillery force 
acquitted itself magnificently in support of the ad- 
vance, and the enemy broke before the determined 
infantry, which, by its persistent fighting of the 
past weeks and the dash of this attack had over- 
come his will to resist. The Third Corps took Ain- 
creville, Doulcon, and Andevanne, and the Fifth 
Corps took Landres et St. Georges and pressed 
through successive lines of resistance to Bayonville 
and Chennery. On the 2d the First Corps joined 



The American Army in France Page 31 

in the movement, which now became an impetuous 
onslaught that could not be stayed. 

On the 3d, advance troops surged forward in 
pursuit, some by motor trucks, while the artillery 
pressed along the country roads close behind. The 
First Corps reached Authe and Chatillon-sur-Bar, 
the Fifth Corps, Fosse and Nouart, and the Third 
Corps, Halles, penetrating the enemy's line to a 
depth of 12 miles. Our large caliber guns had ad- 
vanced and were skillfully brought into position to 
fire upon the important lines at Montmedy, Lon- 
guyon, and Conflans. Our Third Corps crossed the 
Meuse on the 5th, and the other corps, in the full 
confidence that the day was theirs, eagerly cleared 
the way of machine guns as they swept northward, 
maintaining complete coordination throughout. On 
the 6th, a division of the First Corps reached a point 
on the Meuse opposite Sedan, 25 miles from our line 
of departure. The strategical goal which was our 
highest hope was gained. We had cut the enemy's 
main line of communications, and nothing but sur- 
render or an armistice could save his army from 
complete disaster. 

In all, 40 enemy divisions had been used against 
us in the Meuse-Argonne battle. Between Septem- 
ber 26 and November 6 we took 26,059 prisoners 
and 468 guns on this front. Our Divisions engaged 
were the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, 
Twenty-sixth, Twenty-eighth, Twenty-ninth, Thir- 
ty-second, Thirty-third, Thirty-fifth, Thirty- 
seventh, Forty-second, Seventy-seventh, Seventy- 
eighth, Seventy-ninth, Eightieth, Eighty-second, 
Eighty-ninth, Ninetieth, and Ninety-first. Many 
of our divisions remained in line for a length of time 
that required nerves of steel, while others were sent 



Page 32 General Pershing's Story 

in again after only a few days of rest. The First, 
Fifth, Twenty-sixth, Forty-second, Seventy-sev- 
enth, Eightieth, Eighty-ninth, and Ninetieth were 
in the line twice. Although some of the divisions 
were fighting their first battle, they soon became 
equal to the best. 

OPERATIONS EAST OF THE MEUSE 

On the three days preceding November 10, the 
Third, the Second Colonial, and the Seventeenth 
French Corps fought a difficult struggle through 
the Meuse Hills south of Stenay and forced the 
enemy into the plain. Meanwhile, my plans for 
further use of the American forces contemplated an 
advance between the Meuse and the Moselle in the 
direction of Longwy by the First Army, while, at 
the same time, the Second Army should assure the 
offensive toward the rich iron fields of Briey. These 
operations were to be followed by an offensive to- 
ward Chateau-Salins east of the Moselle, thus iso- 
lating Metz. Accordingly, attacks on the Amer- 
ican front had been ordered and that of the Second 
Army was in progress on the morning of November 
11, when instructions were received that hostilities 
should cease at 11 o'clock, a. m. 

At this moment the line of the American sector, 
from right to left, began at Port-Sur-Seille, thence 
across the Moselle to Vandieres and through the 
Woevre to Bezonvaux in the foothills of the Meuse, 
thence along to the foothills and through the north- 
ern edge of the Woevre forests to the Meuse at 
Mouzay, thence along the Meuse, connecting with 
the French under Sedan. 



The American Army in France Page 33 

RELATIONS WITH THE ALLIES 

Cooperation among the Allies has at all times 
been most cordial. A far greater effort has been 
put forth by the Allied armies and staffs to assist us 
than could have been expected. The French Gov- 
ernment and Army have always stood ready to fur- 
nish us with supplies, equipment, and transporta- 
tion and to aid us in every way. In the towns and 
hamlets wherever our troops have been stationed 
or billeted the French people have everywhere re- 
ceived them more as relatives and intimate friends 
than as soldiers of a foreign army. For these 
things words are quite inadequate to express our 
gratitude. There can be no doubt that the relations 
growing out of our associations here assure a per- 
manent friendship between the two peoples. Al- 
though we have not been so intimately associated 
with the people of Great Britain, yet their troops 
and ours when thrown together have always 
warmly fraternized. The reception of those of our 
forces who have passed through England and of 
those who have been stationed there has always 
been enthusiastic. Altogether it has been deeply 
impressed upon us that the ties of language and 
blood bring the British and ourselves together com- 
pletely and inseparably. 

STRENGTH 

There are in Europe altogether including a regi- 
ment and some sanitary units with the Italian 
Army and the organizations at Murmansk, also in- 
cluding those en route from the States, approxi- 
mately 2,053,347 men, less our losses. Of this total 



Pag? 34 General Pershing's Story 

there are in France 1,338,169 combatant troops. 
Forty divisions have arrived, of which the Infantry 
personnel of 10 have been used as replacements, 
leaving 30 divisions now in France organized into 
three armies of three corps each. 

The losses of the Americans up to November 
18 are: Killed and wounded, 36,145; died of disease, 
14,811; deaths unclassified, 2,204; wounded, 179,- 
625; prisoners, 2,163; missing, 1,160. We have cap- 
tured about 44,000 prisoners and 1,400 guns, how- 
itzers and trench mortars. 

COMMENDATION 

The duties of the General Staff, as well as those of 
the Army and corps staffs, have been very ably per- 
formed. Especially is this true when we consider 
the new and difficult problems with which they 
have been confronted. This body of officers, both 
as individuals and as an organization, have, I be- 
lieve, no superiors in professional ability, in effi- 
ciency, or in loyalty. 

Nothing that we have in France better reflects 
the efficiency and devotion to duty of Americans in 
general than the Service of Supply whose personnel 
is thoroughly imbued with a patriotic desire to do 
its full duty. They have at all times fully appre- 
ciated their responsibility to the rest of the Army 
and the results produced have been most gratify- 
ing. 

Our Medical Corps is especially entitled to praise 
for the general effectiveness of its work both in hos- 
pital and at the front. Embracing men of high pro- 
fessional attainments, and splendid women devoted 
to their calling and untiring in their efforts, this de- 



The American Army in France Page 35 

partment has made a new record for medical and 
sanitary proficiency. 

The Quartermaster Department has had difficult 
and various tasks, but it has more than met all de- 
mands that have been made upon it. Its manage- 
ment and its personnel have been exceptionally effi- 
cient and deserve every possible commendation. 

As to the more technical services, the able per- 
sonnel of the Ordnance Department in France has 
splendidly fulfilled its functions both in procure- 
ment and in forwarding the immense quantities of 
ordnance required. The officers and men and the 
young women of the Signal Corps have performed 
their duties with a large conception of the problem 
and with a devoted and patriotic spirit to which the 
perfection of our communications daily testify. 
While the Engineer Corps has been referred to in 
another part of this report, it should be further 
stated that the work has required large vision and 
high professional skill, and great credit is due their 
personnel for the high proficiency that they have 
constantly maintained. 

Our aviators have no equals in daring or in fight- 
ing ability and have left a record of courageous 
deeds that will ever remain a brilliant page in the 
annals of our Army. While the Tank Corps ha? 
had limited opportunities its personnel has re- 
sponded gallantly on every possible occasion and 
has shown courage of the highest order. 

The Adjutant General's Department has been di- 
rected with" a systematic tEoroughness and excel- 
lence that surpassed any previous work of, its kind. 
The Inspector General's Department Has risen to 
the highest standards and throughout has ably as- 
sisted commanders in the enforcement of discipline. 



Page 36 General Pershing's Story 

The able personnel of the Judge Advocate General's 
Department has solved with judgment and wisdom 
the multitude of difficult legal problems, many of 
them involving questions of great international im- 
portance. 

It would be impossible in this brief preliminary 
report to do justice to the personnel of all the dif- 
ferent branches of this organization which I shall 
cover in detail in a later report. 

The Navy in European waters has at all times 
most cordially aided the Army, and it is most grati- 
fying to report that there has never before been 
such perfect co-operation between these two 
branches of the service. 

As to Americans in Europe not in the military 
services, it is the greatest pleasure to say that, both 
in official and in private life, they are intensely pa- 
triotic and loyal, and have been invariably sympa- 
thetic and helpful to the Army. 

Finally, I pay the supreme tribute to our officers 
and soldiers of the line. When I think of their 
heroism, their patience under hardships, their un- 
flinching spirit of offensive action, I am filled with 
emotion which I am unable to express. Their deeds 
are immortal, and they have earned the eternal 
gratitude of our country. 

I am, Mr. Secretary, very respectfully, 

JOHN J. PERSHING, 
General, Commander in Chief 
American Expeditionary Forces. 

To the Secretary of War. 




French Croix de Guerre 

Congressional Medal of 

Honor for the Army 
Belgian Croix de Guerre 



WAR MEDALS OF AMERICA AND THE ALLIES 



French Legion 

d'Honneur 

U. S. Distinguished 

Service Cross 

Italian Order of the 

Crown 



British Victoria Cross 

U. S. Distinguished 

Service Medal 

Serbian Order of 

Karageorge 



British Distinguished 

Service Order 

Congressional Medal of 

Honor for the Navy 

Japanese Order of the 

Rising Sun 



In Flanders Fields 



By Lieut.-Col. John McCrae 

Died in the Service January 28th, 1918, and buried 
in Flanders Fields. 



I 



N Flanders Fields the poppies blow- 
Between the crosses, row on row, 
That mark our place ; and in the sky 
The larks, still bravely singing, fly 
Scarce heard amid the guns below. 

We are the dead. Short days ago 
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 
Loved and were loved, and now we lie 
In Flanders Fields. 

Take up our quarrel with the foe: 
To you from failing hands we throw 

The torch ; be yours to hold it high. 

If ye break faith with us who die 
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow 
In Flanders Fields. 




Copyright, 1919, Sun Sales Corporation 



In Flanders Fields 



R 




(AN ANSWER) 
By R. W. Lillard 

EST ye in peace, ye Flanders dead ! 
The fight that ye so bravely led 
We've taken up ! And we will keep 
True faith with you who lie asleep, 
With each a cross to mark his bed, 
And poppies blowing overhead 
Where once his own life blood ran red ! 
So let your rest be sweet and deep 
In Flanders Fields! 

Fear not that ye have died for naught ; 

The torch ye threw to us we caught ! 
Ten million hands will hold it high, 
And Freedom's light shall never die! 

We've learned the lesson that ye taught 
In Flanders Fields! 





Copyright, 1919, Sun Sales Corpora! 
I 




SUN SALES CORPORATION 



NEW YORK 

Copyright, 1919 



Copy.'-"h. 




Je Corporation 






^ 






•o 

o 



3 V 











^ 















° 4 









*,. <e 



0" 



- '-%. /^^i&N 



<**.• 






<, 









•5R- /\ f?# /% 





-- \* ... °* 

^^ •> ^ -^ *"^®1 ir-* .ay ^d* 








